Lunar - Silver Star Story Complete - Review

When a video game is released, the issue of localization can prove to be something of a quandary even for the most hardcore of fans. Many wait patiently for the day when their dream title is given a date they can set their calendars to. For others, patience is more a liability than a virtue and rely, instead, on fan-based translations or bootlegs. Up until late last year, Working Designs was a gaming company devoted to orienting Japanese-based titles for the Western mainstream. Their work has been considerable, spanning almost twenty years, seven different consoles, and always with the penchant to break their translations in with Americanized slang and humor. ‘The Silver Star’ was the first of several Lunar games released in the Playstation’s early years, and has the GameFan reputation of being voted ‘RPG of 93’. While not the high art of today’s industry, it still succeeded as a solid roleplay adventure for its time.

Alex, our main protagonist, comes from a mold not entirely unlike that found in Chrono Trigger or the Grandia series, namely a dream chaser in search of some trial or quest to break away from the tedium of village life. And, like most other protagonists, he holds onto a dream – one day he will become Dragonmaster, a protector of Lunar chosen by the Goddess Althena to be savior in times of crisis. The world of Lunar has had the chance to evolve over the span of five separate titles, and in this particular instance Alex sets out to follow in the footsteps of yesteryear’s Four Heroes. What begins as a harmless excursion to the White Dragon cave eventually fosters into a very memorable (and perilous) journey to the ends of the earth and back. With him to face these trials, however, are a group of very good friends who unwittingly come to emulate the very warriors that Alex looks up to. Most notably of these are Nall (a brotherly companion who resembles a cat with wings) and Luna, a high-spirited young woman with the voice of a woodwind.

Nonactive turn-based battling is the name of pain in Silver Star, with players being able (at least sometimes) to skirt encounters while navigating a dungeon if they’re quick enough. As many as five party members may be part of the group at one time, while Nall hovers near the top of the screen during the main battle phase. Each character has their own inventory of items, which needs to be stocked prior to battle. Occasionally, if one of your teammates gets knocked out, Nall will swing down and help them to recover with his magic. All characters to come and go along your quest (with the exception of Ramus) have either Magic Spells or Special Abilities that can help turn the tide when needed. Most of these skills, such as Jessica’s healing and Nash’s elemental spells, are gained with experience. Others, like Alex’s Dragon spells, can only be learned once you’ve defeated that particular dragon, which are obviously some of the hardest matchups in the whole game.

There is nothing particularly innovative about gameplay, at least nothing that hasn’t been done before with the much-lauded FF series. Of course, rather than being a gameplay handicap, this can actually be considered more of a user-friendly alternative. Having enemies that don’t attack you while in midstrategy is sometimes the only way to get out of one heck of a bad spot. After all, the only surprises needed to really enjoy a Lunar experience are the plot twists as well as the scenery, neither of which disappoint. The atmosphere, even in the most foreboding of places, is always vibrant and quite lively. From flying ships to floating cities, haunted forests to crystalline towers, all that you see will enthrall you and sometimes keep you playing just to see the next breathtaking vista that Game Arts has in store for you.

Much of the dialogue that goes around as your party wanders from one town to the next is very tongue-in-cheek, which is by no means a bad thing. Often in games such as these, there is the tendency for characters to take themselves far too seriously, a statistic that often cripples the fun factor. By showing a lighter side to what are some otherwise very dire events, even by forgetting about it here and there with a celebration or two, players can relate more easily to the characters as well as what it is they’re trying to save. In this respect, ‘Silver Star’ takes on something of a life of its own, a very rare and redeeming quality where next-gen graphics and blow-me-down sound effects become secondary. And when games like these grab you, they keep hold of you well after the credits roll.

If any fault can be found here, aside from what is essentially a very generic battle system, it would be what the future has in store for the game itself – which is to say, almost nothing at all. Victor Ireland, president of Working Designs up until December 2005, has since moved on with Gaijinworks and left the series in the hands of Ubisoft, a move that has been near devastating to the franchise. With only a token graphic overhaul and none of the carefree Westernized vernacular of the PS1 release, GBA’s ‘Lunar Legends’ (a retelling of ‘Silver Star’) has been met with only mediocre success. If one is fortunate enough, open-minded enough, and have enough money kicking around to pursue the original, you will find this one more than worth your while. Their ‘RPG of 93’ title has been well-deserved and is probably the most enjoyable (certainly the funniest) Japanese RPG to ever find its way into a Westerner’s hands.

8 /10